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Friday, May 26, 2017

We were so proud to present underclass awards this morning following the 143rd visit of the Flying Squadron. We presented awards for Academic Achievement and Academic Commitment. Academic Achievement awards were presented to students for excellence and leadership in the classroom, and the academic commitment awards were presented for students who demonstrated growth, perseverance, or commitment in the department.

Additionally, a number of book awards were presented to members of the Class of 2018, some of which carry with them scholarship awards for students who attend those universities that sponsor the awards.

We are proud of all these achievements!

The Underclass Academic Achievement Winners were:

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT

JUNIOR

SOPHOMORE

FRESHMAN

English

Jillian Sylvia

Alexandria Nowicki

Miriam Abdel Nour

ELL

Gurdeep Randhawa

Julia Jeronimo

FCS

Anna Breau

Caitlin Spencer

Ashley Greene

Student Services

Matt MacSween

Justin Morvan

Samantha Muse

Performing Arts

Cassie Lobe

Julia Parabicoli

Kevin Siefken

Visual Arts

Gianna Garille

Carrie Kraich

Danielle Healey

World Language

Riley Malone

Lucas Lawrence

Ashley Greene

Mathematics

Riley Malone

Lucas Lawrence

Nathaniel Holden

PE/Health

Marissa Allegrezza

Abigail Burke

Katelyn Jones

Science

Kayte Rooney

Lucas Lawrence

Ashley Greene

Social Studies

Riley Malone

Maddie Schleinitz

Meriam Abdel Nour

Technology Ed.

emily philbrook

Lucas Lawrence

Lindsey Moss

Academic Commitment Winners included:

ACADEMIC COMMITMENT

JUNIOR

SOPHOMORE

FRESHMAN

English

Russell Wise

Erika Dube

Danielle Healy

FCS

Liam Morawski

Darjahne McClam

Matt Stark

Student Services

Abby Bates

Maxine Cannalonga

Ashley Collins

Performing Arts

Chloe Gardner

Maggie Streichert

Daniel Klos

Visual Arts

Evan Wiencek

Maddie Arroyas

World Language

Wesley Mattson

Alexandra Jones

Joseph Bernard

Mathematics

Nicholas Hirtle

Hannah Callinan

Jenny Frick

PE/Health

Jason Kindl

Sean Morrissey

Nicholas Oliveira

Science

Ryan Paul

Ceara Graveson

Danielle Healey

Social Studies

Emily Lavigne

Sean Morrissey

Samantha Muse

Technology Ed.

Jack Schreiber

Alex Keeler

Brandon Bibeault

We also presented several book awards, some of which have scholarship money tied to them from specific colleges:

Thursday, May 25, 2017

There have been a number of rumors swirling since the vote on Tuesday, and our hope is that the questions below will answer a number of them.

Statement: The athletic program has been cut at Uxbridge High School.

True or False: FALSE. We still have an athletic program. As a result of the vote, fees for athletics for 2017-18 will be $275 per athlete, per sport. There is no family cap. There are certain pieces of the program that have been removed from the budget. Unfortunately, unless we raise fees again, we will not have the resources to fund the position of athletic trainer, and there is the possibility of some junior varsity teams not competing if there is not adequate high school participation.

Statement: There are no JV sports at UHS next year.

True or False: FALSE. We continue to sponsor JV sports if high school student participation warrants it. However, in some sports, there have not been adequate numbers of high school students participating. For example, in soccer last year, there were 15 high school girls and about 14 middle school girls participating. With similar numbers in 2017, there would only be a varsity team, and the middle school girls would participate in middle school or town sports. If enough high school girls registered to participate (19 or more), we would then have the demand for a JV team, which would enable us to offer the program to middle school athletics and use fees to offset the program. We will not know this until August.

All other JV sports, such as boys basketball, baseball, field hockey, tennis, and football, will compete in 2017-18.

Statement: There are no middle school sports next year.

True or False: FALSE. Middle school sports were not touched by the budget cuts and failure of the override vote.

Statement: Transportation was cut from the athletics budget.

True or False: TRUE AND FALSE. In our budget projection for the athletic program for this coming year, we intend to utilize the school van more deliberately, which will reduce transportation costs. There is no plan to have parents transport student-athletes to contests, nor are students self-transporting.

Statement: Transportation for all students was cut from the operating budget.

True or False: TRUE, to an extent. There is a transportation fee being imposed for all riders. If a student intends to take the bus either to or from school next year, s/he must be registered. The fee will be $180, per rider, with a $360 family cap.

Statement: The school’s accreditation is in jeopardy.

True or False: We don’t know yet. Uxbridge High School is due to be visited as part of its decennial visit in December 2018. One of the standards for accreditation is called, “Community Resources for Learning.” In that standard, the school, district, and community will be evaluated on its ability to meet the needs of all students and provide sufficient programs, including co-curricular and extracurricular programming. When fees that impact a student’s experience are imposed, the accreditation visiting team may determine that the standard is not met, or is limited, which could lead to Special Progress Reports or probation.

Statement: Other schools lost teachers, but it doesn’t appear that the high school lost personnel.

True or False: TRUE. The high school master schedule was redesigned last year around the different needs of students in terms of graduation requirements and levels. The building has been stretched to capacity in terms of teachers, with the average teacher-student load at about 106 students, and many classes (>10) already have more than 27 students in the section, with a half-dozen with more than 30 students. Should future cuts be needed, the elective program at Uxbridge High School will be compromised, which again could impact the accreditation in terms of the Curriculum and School Resources for Learning standards. When a school has challenges for accreditation in multiple standards, it risks being put on probation, pending fixes.

Students who lose supports at younger grades will eventually be at Uxbridge High School, so it is understandable to think about what skill gaps could arise as students come to UHS having had larger class sizes at younger grades.

Statement: The middle school is closing, so that will save money.

True or False: TRUE...but there is no determined date yet. There is much work to do with the Massachusetts School Building Authority and we could be bound by their timelines. Furthermore, savings with a building closure are anticipated to be needed for capital improvements. Teaching and learning fall into the operating budget, so any money saved by the potential closure will be used toward capital improvements for the district, which has lacked a funded capital improvement plan for several years.

Friday, May 19, 2017

Earlier this afternoon, parents arriving after school, or students on campus after school, would have noticed the presence of the Uxbridge Police on campus. In keeping with our procedures, we notified Uxbridge Police Department upon the report of suspicious persons in the parking lot after school hours, as well as a vehicle that was unknown to our students or staff. In following with safety procedures, we asked Uxbridge Police to investigate, as we considered that the persons in that vehicle may have had a conflict out-of-school with one or more of our students.

The vehicle left before the arrival of the police, but we were able to work with Uxbridge Police to identify the persons and the vehicle itself, and, not knowing if there were an imminent threat to anyone, we felt it best to involve our police partners and not handle this internally, particularly where we believed the persons to not be UHS students. We appreciate the vigilance of our staff, students, and families for reporting suspicious activity, and we also are grateful for our relationship with the Uxbridge Police, who responded immediately, professionally, and efficiently in addressing a potential concern.

While we do not believe that the campus as a whole and students at large were ever in any danger or harm’s way, please know that we will always take steps to ensure the safety and security of our entire community. When the situation calls for it, the police are notified, as it is better to act on the side of caution in these challenging and uncertain times.

Friday, May 12, 2017

Senior Wear 2018 order forms were given to Juniors today. Additional order forms are available in the Main Office and Guidance Office. Order forms are due back to Mrs. Wise or Mrs. Robertson by Friday, May 19th.

SENIOR EXAM SCHEDULE

The schedule for senior class exams (for the Class of 2017) can be found here. Seniors are obliged to be on campus only during those classes for which they have an examination.

UNDERCLASS EXAMS

We know that the underclassmen are looking for their exam schedule as well. Right now, it looks like final exams will be following this schedule:

2016-17 Semester 2

Final Exam Schedule

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

7:30 - 8:50am (80) G Block Exam

8:50 - 9:03am Break

9:05 - 10:25am (80) F block Exam

10:30 dismissal -- students stay in class of last exam until dismissal

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

7:30 - 8:50am (80) E Block Exam

8:50 - 9:03am Break

9:05 - 10:25am (80) D block Exam

10:30 dismissal -- students stay in class of last exam until dismissal

Thursday, June 15, 2017

7:30 - 8:50am (80) C Block Exam

8:50 - 9:03am Break

9:05 - 10:25am (80) B block Exam

10:30 dismissal -- students stay in class of last exam until dismissal

Friday, June 16, 2017

7:30 - 8:50am (80) A Block Exam

8:50 - 9:03am Break

9:05 - 10:25am (80) Makeup period (if needed)

10:30 dismissal -- students stay in class of last exam until dismissal

Monday, June 18, 2017

Students will go to each class. Dismissal is at 10:30am.

For all exam periods, underclass students are obliged to report. Teachers who assign a project that is due the day of the exam will designate the exam period as either a time to present or review the projects.

A reminder that Town Meeting recessed last week and will resume this Tuesday at Uxbridge High School. Also, we want to thank our Student Council members who assisted with the childcare efforts on Tuesday, keeping more than 70 children active, awake, and well-behaved during the Town Meeting. Their efforts are appreciated.

We had sent out a couple of notifications to High School parents asking for feedback earlier this week, so please look through your in-boxes and take a few minutes to provide our School Council with some feedback as we move forward with some revisions to our School Improvement Plan and Student Handbook.